This New HBO Max Short Showcases Denver Disabled Community With Local Music

For Kalyn Heffernan, founder of the experimental local hip-hop group Wheelchair Sports Camp, creativity thrives on experimentation.

"Jumping into other art forms really challenges and stretches me, and that reflects back into my music," she explains. "These other musical projects prevent me from becoming stuck or stagnant in the sound genre. Without these types of opportunities to grow outside of the traditional model of releasing albums, I don't know that my music would feel as fresh, so I feel really lucky to be able to regularly work with other Denver artists on a variety of projects."

That philosophy guided her recent collaboration with local director Regan Linton on the Warner Bros.-supported short film Jack and the Beanstalk. Set in Denver, the story follows Jack, a neurodivergent grocery store employee fighting for a fair wage while navigating a corporate system that undervalues him.
"I was trying to think of what’s the modern equivalent of a giant, especially through a disability lens," says Linton, who co-wrote the film with a fellow disabled writer and Colorado native, Jeremy Palmer. "The issue of employment is always top of mind for the disability community, and especially right now, the question of subminimum wages for people with disabilities, so I felt the modern equivalent of a giant is a big corporation. I have a number of friends who have disabilities and work at grocery stores, and I believe the general public has mixed feelings about it, but it's often the only time they will interact with someone with a disability while bagging groceries, so I thought it was a meaningful and realistic opportunity to put Jack in that role."

The film includes Denver-based actors, artists and musicians, including Heffernan’s band, Wheelchair Sports Camp, which wrote an original punk-inspired anthem for the climactic moment when Jack takes control of his narrative. Heffernan and Linton first met while Heffernan was running for mayor in 2019, when Linton interviewed her for a feature story in New Mobility magazine.

"I was first a fangirl of Kalyn," Linton admits. "Wheelchair Sports Camp has become my go-to if I have a project that needs music. Everything they do is so innovative. Sometimes it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I just love that. It's been a lovely, burgeoning friendship and also collaborative relationship on these few projects that we've worked on." Their friendship developed into a creative collaboration during Phamaly Theatre Company's 2021 production of Alice in Wonderland. For the show, Heffernan and Wheelchair Sports Camp wrote a groundbreaking original score, transforming the classic tale into an experimental, disability-centered narrative.

“Regan really trusted and believed in me,” Heffernan says. “I had never created something like that before but Regan just put all her faith behind us and we wrote music to this original thing. Then she ended up casting me in it as the Cheshire Cat, so I really credit Regan for really throwing me into a different world outside of music — first theater and now movies. Working with Regan really changed my life and will influence my art for the rest of time. I'm always thrilled to take her lead in any kind of project she's getting herself into."

When Linton was chosen for Warner Bros.' short film initiative, it was a no-brainer to commission Heffernan to compose the score for Jack and the Beanstalk. The project is part of the Reframed: Next Gen Narrative series, celebrating Warner Bros.’ 100th anniversary by inviting six diverse filmmakers to reimagine classic titles through fresh perspectives.
Selected from hundreds of candidates by the studio’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion team, Linton received $200,000 to bring her vision to life. The film employed 26 union-scale crew members and fourteen cast members, including eleven disabled actors. The production was completed over a three-day shoot last March, with music playing a key role from the start. Heffernan and her band began writing the track "I Fear Nothing" in January last year, ensuring it was completed in time to guide the climactic scenes during filming.

"I wanted the music to be written first, because the music is so essential to the storytelling of that sequence," Linton says. "If you're filming a movie version of Hamilton, are you going to shift the music according to the camera? No, you're going to shoot according to what the song is. So I worked with Kayln to write a draft of the song, and luckily we were able to get that done before we kind of started plotting out our shots."

The resulting track, “I Fear Nothing,” reflects Jack’s journey of empowerment. "The musical world has given me an opportunity to take these big, heady topics and simplify them," says Heffernan. "It really challenged my vocal delivery; I've been able to experiment with my voice more because I'm less caught up on being a rapper and trying to outbar everybody. It is like, 'No, we have to get the point of the story in the song; that is the intention,' so it frees me up to have fun and experiment with more pop punk sounds."

Linton’s decision to shoot in Denver was intentional. “The city has a vibrant disability arts scene,” she explains. “I wanted to highlight the incredible talent here while showcasing iconic local spaces like Sakura Square and Five Points.” The production relied on partnerships with RTD Access-A-Ride, the Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library, Pacific Mercantile Company and the Five Points/Curtis Park neighborhoods.

The film is streaming now on Max, alongside five other shorts in the Reframed series. Each project reimagines a classic Warner Bros. title, including A Star is Born, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Calamity Jane, The Prince and the Pauper and Rebel Without a Cause, but Linton’s stands out for its inclusive cast and authentic portrayal of disability.
"It would be easy to do this shit just for representation, but Regan keeps raising the bar so that it is like, yes, we are represented, which is awesome and significant, but it is also a great story," Heffernan says. "The film is fun, emotional and has some really classic, beautiful shots. Regan just continues to raise the bar for the disability world in the arts."

The film's release marks the beginning of a busy year for Heffernan and Wheelchair Sports Camp. The band is set to drop a full-length album this summer through Alternative Tentacles Records, and will also be taking over the Denver Art Museum in July for an event "we've been cooking...for over a year now," Heffernan says, as well as performing at Meow Wolf and other local venues.

“This year feels like a culmination of so much hard work,” Heffernan says. “The album is the big cherry on top of the year. We hope to tour it, but before that, we’ve got some exciting local things on the horizon."

Jack and the Beanstalk is available to stream on Max. For more updates on Wheelchair Sports Camp’s 2025 plans, visit wheelchairsportscamp.co.